#400 Everyone's Worried About AI. I Found a Bigger Problem
Everyone's talking about AI disrupting their business models.
And it is. But so are we.
During another messaging crisis (yes another) 2 weeks ago, I realised I’d wandered way off my core message – to the point I didn’t recognise it any more.
AI wasn’t my biggest threat; I was!
For months, I’ve been tweaking my messaging. Making it softer. More palatable. Watering down what I actually do, trying to fit what I thought people wanted.
I was hiding from my bigger message.
And I know I'm not alone in this.
The sabotage we don't see
As business owners we’re so focused on external threats - AI, competition, market changes - that we miss the biggest disruption of all: the way we’re sabotaging ourselves.
And our positioning, messaging and offer are one of biggest ways we’re doing this.
Getting our unique message clear and "out there" is bloody hard. But in a world where everything is starting to look the same, and anyone can find out anything from AI, your positioning matters more now than ever before.
Your human skills, your unique voice and perspective, are the things AI can't replicate. The world needs them, and you need them if your business is going to survive.
You can't read the label from inside the jar
My good friend Ben Afia, a global tone of voice expert, said to me last week: "You can't read the label from inside the jar."
What a mic drop moment!
I'd been trying to figure out my positioning from inside my own business, making assumptions about what people wanted. I’d been going round in circles. Getting nowhere.
So I took a week out to rip my positioning apart. I’m not going to lie, it was a brutal week. One day I was at my desk at 3.30 am because my mind was buzzing and I couldn’t sleep (I definitely don’t recommend it!)
I realised, eventually, that I was dancing around, hinting at but never spelling out, in exact steps, in bold language, what I actually do for my clients.
I’ve figured it out now, so I may as well share it with you!
I help business owners stop winging it with their money.
I get them clear on what they actually want their life to look like, then engineer their business to build the wealth to get them there.
By building real financial strength, profit and cash, and using their profits to invest in their pension – so time and compound interest can build their wealth, so there’s no risky reliance on an exit that will probably never happen.
I’m Serena Humphrey; part CFO, part coach, and your financial bodyguard.
I help business owners take back control, build real wealth, and finally feel calm about the money.
What's your real message? What’s your real offer?
If you haven't got a clear, compelling offer and message, your potential clients will find someone who has, or turn to AI.
People HAVE to know why they're choosing to spend money on services when they think they can get it from Chatty.
Give them that reason.
Here's what to do next
Stop disrupting your own success; get clear on your offer and message.
1) Complete this sentence: If I said exactly what I do, it would be..."
2) Test the jar: Ask someone outside your business: "In one sentence, what do you think I actually do?" Their confusion will tell you everything😂
3) Find where you're hiding: "What's the boldest thing I could say about my work that I'm too scared to put on my website?" That scary thing? It's probably your real message.
The biggest disruption to your business isn't AI - it's you hiding from what you're actually here to do.
Stop watering it down. Start owning it.